The Army chief Bipin Rawat on Friday gave a befitting farewell to the three brave hearts in a solemn ceremony at the Badami Bagh cantonement at Srinagar. The three soldiers were martyred in an ambush in Shopian in South Kashmir on Thursday.

General Rawat, who flew to Srinagar on Thursday immediately after reports of martyrdom of the three soldiers came in, paid rich tributes to the gallant soldiers, Lance NK Ghulam Mohi- Ud-Din, Sepoy Vikas Singh Gurjar and Sapper Sreejith MJ and expressed his grief and condolences to the bereaved families. He also conveyed his anguish at the unfortunate death of an elderly lady, Taja Begum in the terrorist attack and prayed to Almighty to grant strength to her family to bear this irreparable loss. 

Wreaths were also laid on behalf of the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and by Abdul Haque Khan, Minister of Rural development and Ghulam Nabi Lone, Minister for Agriculture besides other officials from Civil Administration and Security agencies. 

On his arrival on Thursday, the Army Chief had first met the other injured soldiers at the Army Base Hospital and wished them speedy recovery. 
After paying homage to the martyrs, the Army Chief alongwith Northern Army and Chinar Corps Commanders Lt Gen D Anbu and Lt Gen JS Sandhu, visited Victor and Kilo Force headquarters where he was briefed on the prevailing security situation and on the recent operations conducted by the security forces. 

He also reviewed the collaborative measures of security forces towards ensuring peace and calm in the region and interacted with local commanders and troops urging them to continue discharging their duty with utmost professionalism. 

Reinforcing the need to maintain high vigil, the Army Chief also discussed the issue of stone pelting during operations and impressed upon all to synergise efforts with the other security agencies in dealing with such situations effectively. 

The General officer also appreciated the various humanitarian initiatives undertaken by the troops to bring succor to common people and exhorted them to sustain this positive engagement with the Awaam.